Provider of science services Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (NYSE:TMO) has said that its COVID-19 diagnostic tests can accurately detect the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, Reuters news agency reported on Monday.
In a statement the company said that its TaqPath COVID-19 assays can report accurate results even in the case where one of the gene targets is impacted by a mutation.
Mark Stevenson, COO at Thermo Fisher Scientific, was quoted as saying in an interview: "This assay can be used not only to successfully detect COVID-19 but... it also be used as a proxy for the [Omnicron] variant."
Stevenson added that this is the only COVID-19 diagnostic test authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration and currently in use by health systems that can be used to indicate if a case is caused by the Omnicron variant.
Test samples must still be sent to a lab for sequencing to confirm that the case was caused by Omnicron and not another variant with similar features, such as the Alpha variant, Stevenson stated.
AbbVie's ELAHERE receives full US FDA approval
Johnson & Johnson's OPSYNVI receives US FDA approval
Outlook Therapeutics receives positive CHMP opinion for ONS-5010 in wet AMD treatment
Human Immunology Biosciences receives ODD from FDA for felzartamab
Eton Pharmaceuticals acquires PKU GOLIKE, expanding rare disease portfolio
Vertex receives FDA clearance for VX-407 Investigational New Drug Application for ADPKD
Phanes Therapeutics receives FDA Fast Track designation for PT886
Bio-Thera Solutions signs new licensing agreement with SteinCares
FDA accepts resubmission of Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc's BLA for LYMPHIR
GSK Plc reports positive Phase III Jemperli data for endometrial cancer
ImmVira receives FDA Fast Track designation for MVR-T3011 IT